Slow Burn
by PennyKelly
Summary: A sequel to Sweater Thief. Charlie and Hermione are better matched than either of them would have guessed, but does everyone else think so? With their lives moving in different directions, how do they find a way to balance their fledgling romance and their dreams?
1. Chapter 1: Private Parts

**AN:** Hello all! This is the sequel to Sweater Thief I promised. This will update on Fridays beginning this week, I got a little behind last week.

 **Important:** ***While reading Sweater Thief isn't required to enjoy this fic, it is HIGHLY recommended as it will allude to dialogue and plot points addressed in that story.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own or profit from Harry Potter or its related properties.

 **Private Parts**

"I know you thought I was joking, but it really is my favourite sweater, Hermione. I would like to wear it from time to time." Charlie teased, trying to slowly peel the garment from her as she made them eggs in her kitchen.

"Yes, but what if it gets roasted! How many char marks and holes does it already have from your dragons? Hmmmm." She swatted him away, trying her best and failing to sound firm in her conviction.

"I could just take it from you, it is mine after all…" He squared himself around her, sliding an arm around her waist.

"You wouldn't dare. We've bonded, this sweater and I, it would be sad without me." She tried to ignore his brushing her hair aside to kiss the side of her neck.

"A sweater can't be sad," he mumbled into her skin.

"This one can." She popped out of his embrace and reappeared at the coffee table to plate their breakfast.

"You're being ridiculous..." he grumbled, giving up and setting down to eat his eggs.

"Says the man trying to set up a custody arrangement for a sweater." She shook her fork at him with a little laugh.

"What do you suggest we do then?"

"I suggest that you wear the sweater when you're here and I'll wear it when you're gone." She shrugged her shoulders as if the solution was that simple.

"That sounds like you're going to get to keep it much more than me." Charlie charged, wagging his fork back at her.

"It does, doesn't it." She smiled mischievously in his direction before refocusing on her food.

"I have a counter offer. How about you come visit me, wearing my sweater, and I take it off of you as often as possible…" he set his food aside and crawled across the couch toward her, sliding the hem slowly upward.

"Oh, that's already a given. I thought we were talking about when you aren't trying to get me out of it." She set her plate aside and laid back into the cushions, letting him graze his hand further underneath the hem.

"Are you even wearing anything underneath it right now?" He groaned as his higher roaming hand found nothing.

"Not even knickers."

"Woman, you'll be the death of me."

"Not likely, dragon tamer. But I can try." They chuckled as he pulled the sweater off over her head and chucked it across the room.

* * *

"Charlie?" Hermione whispered, snuggling into his arms.

"Hmmm?" He mumbled sleepily.

"I'm going to miss you." She answered quietly, letting him turn her round to face him.

"I'm going to miss you too, love. I won't be that far away. Wales is close enough to apparate if needed, though floo would be better… all you have to do is owl me and I'll come running."

"I know. I just wish you didn't have to go back so soon."

"I've been on holiday since mid-December, it's nearly February now, pet. I have to go back. And what about you, hmmm? I know you weren't working because you were following Krum and the team, but you're home full time now. Don't you want to work?" He ran his fingers through her hair, gently working through the knots.

"I don't have to work. Not if I don't want to…" She argued feebly.

"I know you don't have to, but you want to." He sighed, tugging her onto his chest.

"I feel like we've only just started this and now you're leaving…" she traced random designs over the bare skin of his chest as she fought back tears.

"Hermione, I'm not going to forget about you if that's what you're worried about. I'm more worried you'll realise you can do better than me and forget all about me when I'm gone."

"I could never!" She pushed onto her elbows and stared at him in indignation.

"You say that now, love, but you came onto me when you were stoned and in your cups. Then we spent the next month more-or-less locked up in your flat, not that I'm complaining, but eventually, you're going to go back into the real world and I'm not going to look so good to you anymore."

"Charlie Weasley, if you think even for one second that I could toss you aside so easily… Do you have any idea how long I wished for something like this?" She blustered at him.

"Someone to shag you silly whenever you ask and doesn't demand to parade you around like a trophy the way Krum did?"

"No, you arse. Something that feels real. This isn't like when I was in school or the string of lovers I had after the war, including your emotionally stunted brother, it's something entirely different. And not just because you shag is better than Viktor ever did and manage to do so without parading me 'round town." She sat up and crossed her arms over her naked chest, fuming at him.

"Do you really have no idea, after all I've told the last few weeks, that you are absolutely everything I didn't know I was looking for?" She pressed.

"Hermione…"

"Don't you 'Hermione' me, Charlie. Do you really not see how important you are to me? How important all of this is to me?" She sounded hurt now as she searched his eyes for recognition.

"I know you've said those things, but I didn't know you really meant them. I've been played the fool more than a few times. You know that." He reached over and set his hand on her cheek, gently brushing his thumb over her cheekbone.

"Well, I'm not playing you for anything. You're more than I ever could have wished for out of a rebound shag. You make me laugh and you can keep up with me. For all your family talks about your athletic prowess and your love of dragons, none of them mentioned how intelligent you are. Or how close you are with your siblings. I mean, I know Ginny and Ron think the world of you, but I would never have guessed that you speak to Bill every day. Or that Fred and George owl you about ideas for expanding their business. Even Percy writes to you at least once a week, and he doesn't seem to stay in touch with anyone besides your parents. And I think that's mostly just because your mum makes him. You've got this whole other life no one seems to know about or mention, and I adore every part of it." She whispered, placing her hand over his as she pulled it down and set it on her knee.

"'Mione, when I agreed to get naked with you it never occurred to me that I'd end up sharing my most private parts with you too. There's so much we don't know about each other yet. I'm afraid that when I leave it won't have been enough to keep you interested. If I could stay I would, but I love my job and I need to go back. I miss my dragons. That part of what my family says is true, I'm mad for them, and I couldn't stay away from them for too long. But, I'm mad for you too, and if you still want me I won't stay away from you overly long either." His voice was heavy with a mix of emotions.

"Promise me you'll at least owl me? I know you can't have visitors all the time and I don't expect you'll always be able to get here to see me in person…"

"Promise. I'll write you every day if that would make you feel better."

"I won't make you promise to write every day, Charlie. I know how busy things can get after all you've told me about the work you do. I don't want Sunday lunch at your parents' to be the only time I get to catch up with you when we can't find time alone." She worried her bottom lip as she struggled to look away from him, not wanting him to see the fear in her eyes.

"So long as you want me in your life, I'm going to do everything I can to see you and speak to you. I may not realistically be able to owl every day, but I'm going to try." He reached up and turned her chin back to him, promising with his eyes that he meant every word.

"Alright." She finally whispered with a slight nod of her head.

He leaned over and kissed her gently before pulling her back to the mattress with him and letting her cuddle back into his chest. She nuzzled into him and tried to focus on the things she loved so much about being with him. For now, it was still a secret they shared, untainted by the public eye, and she intended to enjoy it for as long as she could.

* * *

It had been several weeks since Charlie's return to the reserve and he'd managed to owl her almost every day. They'd not been able to see each other since the last night he'd spent in her flat, a series of emergencies and low staffing keeping him from Sundays at the Burrow. He'd been trying to get a weekend pass for her to come visit, but it was taking longer than he'd expected.

Hermione was getting restless waiting to see when she might be able to see him in person again. They'd managed a brief floo call a few days before, but it hadn't been the same. She could see the bandages on his torso where he'd been hit by dragon fire, but she couldn't reach through to feel that he was still whole under the wrapping. She had to trust that he wasn't downplaying the injury and that he'd gone to the healer and not tried to treat it himself to avoid getting pulled off rotation. If she had learned anything about the second eldest Weasley, it was that he'd do anything to avoid causing someone else trouble. And with the difficulty they were having in replacing staff, he was more likely to keep his mouth shut and make due for himself to avoid leaving them another set of hands short.

She huffed around her flat, flipping through a stack of responses she'd had to her job queries. Nowhere had turned her down outright, though some of them made it clear they didn't have openings and any role she'd be given would be mostly ceremonial. She wished that she'd gone straight into the Ministry after finishing school instead of taking the time to clear her head. The only person she hadn't heard back from yet was Kingsley, and that was really the only job she was particularly interested in. If she decided to take her Auror exams she knew Harry would get her into the department, but it wasn't what she wanted. She wanted to work in policy and shape laws instead of enforcing them.

She flopped onto the sofa and stared at the flickering of her fireplace. Since Crookshanks' passing, she had not gotten a new pet and was starting to really miss the companionship. Months of following Viktor and the rest of the Bulgarian team from country to country had kept her from settling too much into her flat. The longest she'd spent in it since purchasing it was the weeks she spent in it with Charlie, though most of that was spent shagging on various surfaces and not necessarily in the full use of the home. She stared at the plain white walls and considered what they might look like in another colour. She supposed she could charm them, but the thought of redecorating the flat in the Muggle fashion was somewhat appealing. She wondered if Ginny might be willing to help her redo the space.

Deciding that making over her flat was the perfect time waster while she waited to hear back from Kingsley or Charlie, she sent a quick owl over to Ginny and popped down to the shops in search of reading materials on the latest trends in home decorating.

"It feels like it's been ages!" Ginny cried when she stepped out of Hermione's floo two hours later.

"I know, Gin, I've been a bit busy." She wrapped the younger girl in a warm hug before leading her over to the coffee table where she had a selection of magazines opened to different pages.

"I'd believe you if I didn't know you weren't regularly corresponding with my brother and trying to get a pass to visit him on the reserve. Mum may not have figured it out yet, but I know the two of you have taken up with one another." Ginny stared at her pointedly.

"I… that is… how did you figure it out? I thought Bill covered for us on New Year's Eve?" Hermione sighed as she leaned back into the cushions. She knew there would be no working on anything until Ginny had all her questions answered.

"Oh, he did. And, to be honest, I don't think anyone noticed that you came downstairs the next morning instead of from the floo besides Harry and myself. We thought perhaps it was just a little drunken tryst, something to make you feel better after Krum. Then we noticed that you and Charlie were often unaccounted for at the same time. Never for long, but just long enough to have a quick snog in the pantry or in the garden shed. Both of you arriving late for meals, separate, but only a few minutes apart." Ginny ticked off the observations on her fingers.

"We weren't trying to hide anything per se, more-so trying to figure out what we wanted with each other."

"And what did that end up being?" Ginny pressed.

"Well, we're dating. We just aren't very public about it. I want something that isn't so in the spotlight as things were with Viktor, and Charlie isn't bothered by it. He doesn't want to lie to anyone, but he also doesn't mind letting people come to conclusions on their own." Hermione explained, tucking her feet up under her and pulling a throw pillow to her chest.

"Other than Harry and me, I think only Bill knows. I don't even know if he's said anything to Fleur about it. She's been so busy with the baby…"

"I don't mind if the family knows. I just don't want it getting to the papers. Ever since my split went public it's reignited this bizarre public interest in my love life. I'd like to try and spare Charlie that if I can." Hermione worried her lower lip as she'd been doing a lot more since his departure.

"I understand. You two may consider telling mum soon though, she's trying to find people to match you two with. I know you came as a pair to the party, but I don't think she's considered that you might actually want to date each other…"

"Why's that?" Hermione cocked her head to one side, confused as to why Molly may not want her to date her son.

"It's the age difference I think. Mum isn't fond of large gaps in couples."

"But, there are seven years between Fleur and Bill! Same as Charlie and me, and I've heard her say a word about it…"

"Oh, trust me, she has. Not in mixed company, mind, but privately I know she had words with Bill up until he proposed to her. At that point, I think she was so excited about the idea of a wedding she forgot all about how she thought Fleur was too young for him." Ginny shrugged as she picked up a magazine and began to flip through the pages.

"Gin, if your mum going to upset that Charlie and I have taken up together? Surely if she was able to get over Bill and Fleur she can get over us. And she already likes me…." Hermione asked, fighting the urge to start chewing on her lip again.

"I honestly don't know, 'Mione, without knowing what her aversion is it's hard to say. You might want to ask Tonks though, she might have better insight. I know mum had quite the conniption over her and Lupin. Actually, that particular jump may have softened things a bit for Bill. Thirteen years is much bigger than seven…"

"Well, she has invited me 'round for tea a few times. I supposed I could ask her about it then." She sighed heavily, the concept exhausting to think about.

"I wish I could help you, there's no telling what mum will decide to have a problem with. I got lucky because she already likes Harry so much. I'm sure if she didn't she'd find all manner of things to complain about. Maybe because she already thinks of you as a daughter she'll overlook the age difference." Ginny soothed, reaching over to pat Hermione's knee before focusing her attention on the magazines again.

Hermione knew she'd have a hard time keeping her attention on the task at hand until she had a chance to speak to Charlie about his mum's possible concerns. Before she went calling on his longtime friend, she wanted to get his take on the matter. She did the best she could to push her worries to the back of her mind. There was nothing she could do about it right now.

* * *

It took two more days before she was finally able to get a response from Charlie. He also had no clue what his mum's concern about age difference was, though he did recall her giving both Bill and Tonks a hard time about it. While he wasn't overly worried about it, he did admit that they'd have to officially tell the rest of the family soon. Molly was already owling him suggestions of women she knew that may be interested in meeting him. They agreed that the first family dinner they could both attend they'd tell her and Arthur in person, not wanting to get the lecture they knew would come if they did so in any other form. She owled Tonks to set a date for tea as soon as possible, letting her know that she wanted to pick the woman's brain about something relationship related. She'd kept the note intentionally vague, on the off chance that Tonks ran into Molly before they'd had a chance to speak. She also hoped it would encourage her to ask Remus to beg off for the afternoon. As much as she adored her former professor, she wasn't exactly keen for him to be privy to the finer points of her sex life. Now all she could do was wait, yet again, for responses she had no control over.


	2. Chapter 2: Let it Happen Part One

**AN:** I'm in the midst of traveling and have questionable connectivity a lot of the time. I know this is quite late and apologize profusely. I wanted to get what I could out before I lose access to the file again. A longer update that finishes what should have been the second half of this chapter, as well as the planned 3rd chapter will hopefully come out on Friday/Saturday. I'll be at the mercy of unreliable internet a little while longer so please bear with me. Thanks! Title from Jimmy Eat World.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own or profit from Harry Potter or its related properties.

 **Let it Happen Part One**

Hermione waited patiently for Tonks at The Leaky Cauldron. Instead of tea, she'd been desperate for some time away from the house. With Remus out for the day and Andromeda happy to take her grandson for an afternoon, the frazzled Hufflepuff jumped at the chance to meet for a pint. In anticipation of her friend's arrival, Hermione had ordered a pair of steak and kidney pies and two pints of Dragon's Scale. It wasn't too much longer before the metamorphmagus bustled in with a bright smile to match her bright pink hair.

"Wotcher, Hermione!" She greeted, throwing her into a warm hug.

"I've missed you, Tonks, it's been entirely too long…" Hermione squeezed her back in equal measure, bubbling over with happiness at the mini-reunion.

"That it has! Teddy is getting so big now, you won't be able to call him 'little one' much longer!" She laughed as she settled into her seat.

"I've got food and beer on the way." Hermione beamed at her, it really had been too long.

"What can I do you for?" Tonks leaned happily back in her seat, regarding her with interest.

"I've got a bit of a romantic question of sorts. A few actually…"

"Ooooo. Moved on from Krum then, yeah?" She waggled her brows at her.

"Yes, with, ermm, Charlie actually. No one really knows yet…"

"That rat! He never tells me anything!" She smacked her hands on the tabletop in mock anger, accidentally flipping a spoon across the table. She grimaced in apology when it clattered to the floor.

"We weren't hiding anything, just taking it all very slowly." Hermione soothed.

"Well, how can I help you with our favourite redhead, hmm?" She seemed at least partially placated by Hermione's look of contrition.

"How did you deal with Molly? Gin says she's got a hangup about age gaps… I'm worried she won't take it well when she finds out. She wasn't exactly a fan of Fleur and Bill and they've got the same gap as we do… and I know she wasn't happy about you and Remus…"

"No, she really wasn't was she?" Tonks laughed with a little smile as she recalled the day Molly found out she fancied her now husband.

"How did you handle it?" Hermione chewed on her bottom lip in worry.

"Well… it's a bit of a story really… Oh, foods here!" Tonks interrupted herself at the sight of their meal levitating to them. She tucked in immediately, clearly elated to have something she had not had to cook for herself.

"Sorry, 'Mione, it's been so long since I've had something that wasn't geared toward Teddy. He doesn't like very many foods yet, it's not often I get a good steak and kidney pie these days." She looked mildly embarrassed at how quickly she'd shoveled down the food in front of her.

"I understand, it can't be easy juggling it all." Hermione smiled at her as she pushed her own plate a little closer to centre so Tonks could share in hers as well.

"So, you and my Charlie then, 'eh? How did that happen?" She teased.

"Well, I like to think of him as my Charlie now, Tonks… it happened on New Year's Eve. I got a bit stoned with him and Bill, and I was already quite in my cups… one thing led to another and I woke up in his room." Hermione blushed slightly, not having told the story out loud before. Ginny, thankfully, had not asked.

"Did you make the first move, or did he?"

"I did, actually…"

"That sounds about right, then. Charlie is shier than most people think." Tonks chuckled as she signaled the barkeep for a second pint.

"He has an interesting way of showing it. He did announce in front of the whole party that we were both single. I could have throttled him…"

"That's Charlie too. Saved you having to tell the story a million time, didn't it?" Tonks nodded, knowingly.

"I suppose it did. Still quite embarrassing though." Hermione sighed, draining the last of her pint as their refills arrived.

"Right, so… Molly is going to be a hard nut to crack. She loves you already, that will help. And Arthur likes you too, which is even better because you're going to need him on your side."

"Arthur? Really?" Hermione was taken aback.

"Yes, he's who finally calmed Mols down about me and Remus. I never did find out why she has just a problem with age difference. Remud supposes it's because her first boyfriend was quite a bit older back at school. There was apparently a bit of scandal about it…"

"Molly caused a scandal? I don't believe it." Hermione laughed with a shake of her head as she tried to picture the Weasley matriarch as a troublemaker.

"It gets overshadowed by Gideon and Fabian I think. Those two were almost as bad as Fred and George if the stories are to be believed. Though, honestly, she was out of school by the time her brothers went through. I think it's possible there just aren't many left who remember what happened. There's about a decade between her and Remus and he's only puzzled bit and pieces together over the years. The only one who really knows for sure what her problem is is her." Tonks shrugged as she finally shoved the now empty plates to the side.

"How bad was her reaction to you and Remus?" Tonks grimaced at the question.

"It wasn't pretty. Even though I was largely the aggressor in that pursuit, she went after him with a few choice curses and the foulest language I've ever heard from her mouth."

"Oh my… you don't think she'll go after me or Charlie?" Hermione chewed her bottom lip nervously, not liking the idea of potentially having to square off with the champion dueler.

"I don't think so, though I'd be prepared for quite the lecture." Tonks patted her hand in an attempt to comfort her.

"Do you think it's worth it to ask Bill or Fleur how they dealt with it?" Hermione's eyes swum with worry.

"I wouldn't ask Fleur, Molly had it out for her from the beginning. Might be worth asking Bill about though. Make sure you let Charlie know you're going to ask him. The two of them are quite close and it may hurt his feelings that you've gone to him without telling him." Tonks advised.

"Why would it bother Charlie if I talked to Bill without telling him?" She was surprised to hear that there may be some jealousy there.

"You know Charlie and I dated for a bit back at school, yeah?" Tonks waited for Hermione to nod before continuing.

"Charlie had a tendency to get Bill's cast offs. He was well liked by the girls in all houses and was largely touted as the more attractive of the two brothers. When Charlie got good at Quidditch he started to pull some attention of his own, but before then he generally only got attention when someone was trying to get close to Bill. He lost more than one potential date to Bill taking a fancy to them when they came to call on Charlie during the summer. Used to make him right livid if I spent any time alone with Bill and he didn't know about it. I think he was always afraid I'd run off with his big brother instead of him. To be honest, it's a big reason why we broke up. I didn't like the idea that he couldn't trust me to be alone with his brother. Bill's handsome, sure, but he isn't anywhere near as charming as Charlie." Tonks sighed at the memories as she loving turned the wedding band on her finger.

"I think it's probably best if I owl Charlie straight off then. I don't want to cause a row. Especially not when we're trying to figure out how to tell his family we've taken up with one another." She sighed heavily and sat back in her chair.

"It'll be alright, Hermione. Even if Molly does blow her top, Arthur will talk her down. He did for me and Remus and I wouldn't be surprised if he did the same for Fleur and Bill. After you have a chat with Bill, maybe it'd be worthwhile to drop in on Arthur. Couldn't hurt to get his opinion on things before you go telling the rest of the family."

"At this rate, the rest of the family will know just because he can't figure a way to tell Molly. This is a right mess, Tonks."

"It could always be worse, love."

"How's that now?"

"Well, he could be a werewolf to boot." Tonks teased with a large grin on her face, making Hermione whoop with laughter. She was right of course, it could be much worse.


	3. Chapter 3: Let it Happen Part Two

**AN:** I didn't make deadline like I wanted to, it was just too busy getting ready to head back home. I didn't want to delay any further, so this is just the second half of the last chapter. What would have been the third will now be the fourth and we'll go from there. I'll have more reliable access to a solid internet connection beginning on Monday. Title from Jimmy Eat World.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own or profit from Harry Potter or its related properties.

 **Let it Happen Part Two**

Hermione owled Charlie as soon as she arrived back home, crossing her fingers that she would get a quick reply. She wondered how angry he would be with her if she just went ahead and contacted Bill without him. He'd seemed fine with his brother on New Year's Eve, but maybe that was because they weren't an item then yet… She busied herself with chores around her flat, eventually sitting down to catch up on the mountain of correspondence she'd yet to return. It didn't seem to matter how far out from the war they got, the interview requests and job offers never ceased. They'd occasionally slow down and she'd think that maybe they'd finally come to an end, then Viktor would parade her out in front of the press corps after some match or another and she'd find her name in the papers all over again.

A little flame of anger burned in the back of her throat. She had not forgiven the Bulgarian for the way he'd broken things off with her. While she had not been delusional enough to believe they would last forever or that they'd someday settle down and get married, she'd trusted him to be more of an adult when the end came. In many ways, the way in which he'd dumped her had hurt more than the actual dumping. It had mostly been physical between them from start to finish so there wasn't much love lost in that regard. But a Dear John letter by bleedin' owl?! That was insensitive enough that even Ron would never have done it. The Howler she'd sent in response a few days later had gone unanswered, not that she'd expected him to. She'd probably never get an answer as to why, even though he'd been in town, he hadn't bothered to break up with her face to face.

She sighed heavily and went to make herself a cuppa. She wanted a glass of wine but decided it was still a bit too early for that. She was also afraid one would lead to two, would lead to a full bottle and she was still hoping Charlie would get back to her early enough to pop in on Bill and Fleur. If she was being honest, she would actually prefer to hear that Charlie could floo over for a quick visit. It felt twice as long as it had really been since they'd been in the same room. She didn't just miss the sex, she missed the man himself. In the short two months they'd been seeing one another she'd liked him more and more. She liked the way he squinted when he read something he didn't believe and the way his eyes crinkled slightly when he laughed. She liked the thin scar across his abdomen where he'd been nicked by a Horntail and the small patches where his body hair had never fully grown back after catching flames a few too many times. She liked that he wasn't afraid to be wrong even though he'd debate her until she could prove it. She liked how much he spoke with pride about his family and all the things his siblings had accomplished. She liked that he wrote both his parents separate letters even though he knew they shared them after, just because he knew his siblings often only wrote directly to their mum. There were many things she was discovering she liked about the man.

The kettle whistling derailed her train of thought, breaking the slight haze she'd fallen into thinking about the red-headed tamer. She finished making the cup and sat back down to the mountain of post. Most of it, she noted, could be thrown right on the fire. She never responded to gossip magazines or Rita Skeeter, which composed most of the parchment littering her kitchen table. She sorted the rest into piles by importance of response, starting with the ones from friends. There was an invitation to a Valentine's Day party hosted by Hannah and Neville at the top of the pile. She had nearly forgotten it was quickly approaching, her stomach sank a little when she realised it wasn't likely Charlie would be able to go with her. She supposed she could go alone but the thought depressed her. She sighed and set it aside, she'd need to mull over a non-committal response to that one until she could speak to Charlie.

It didn't take long to sort through and respond to the rest, her eyes continually landing on the party invitation as she chewed her lip trying to formulate a reply. She knew she could always ignore it and pretend she'd never received it, but that could force her to lie to her friends when they asked about it and she didn't want to do that. She folded and unfolded it in her hands, thinking over her options. She didn't notice the flames in her fireplace change colour in the next room.

"'Mione, love?" she nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Charlie's voice.

"Be right there, Charlie!" she called, stumbling over the chair in her haste to get to the source of his voice.

She collided rather suddenly with a wall of muscle, landing on her arse on the kitchen floor.

"Oh! I thought you were floo calling!" She beamed up at him, elated to see him there in the flesh.

"I got Peter to cover my rotation for the next two days, he's why I haven't been available much lately, I was covering for him while he was dealing with wedding matters," Charlie explained, pulling her off the floor and into his arms.

She pushed onto her toes and kissed him, pulling the leather strap he used to tie back his hair off and running her fingers through the length.

"Happy to see you too…" he chuckled when she stepped back slightly.

"Couldn't help myself, sorry." Her cheeks flushed slightly. He reached over and sprang a curl in response, taking her hand to lead her back into her living room.

"So… I hear we need to talk to Bill…" he started, failing to hide his slight concern.

"Tonks told me you get uneasy about Bill around your girlfriends. I'm not interested in any Weasley besides you, dragon tamer." She teased, swinging her legs onto his lap as they settled onto her sofa.

"Cor! Of course, she did. Risk of staying friends with your ex girlfriend I suppose, she could warn your current girlfriend off of any number of things…" he unlaced her trainers one at a time and dropped them to the floor, still surprised that she wasn't one of those "remove your shoes" type of homeowners.

"Actually, Tonks was pretty flattering. She really does care about you still, considers you family."

"Bloody right she does. I named a dragon after that woman. And her mother!"

"You what?" Hermione laughed, tipping her head back with a large whoop.

"I did! We weren't even dating then! I promised her I would once when we were still at school, she held me to it. Wouldn't stop nagging me about it until I did, had to send her duplicates of their registration paperwork and everything…" he grumbled good naturedly.

"What kind of dragons are they?" She asked, scrunching slightly closer to him.

"Antipodean Opaleyes. They were Tonk's favourite, she likes the eyes because they shift colours like the gemstone. The one with a purple and pink shift I named after her and one with a blue and green shift I named for Andromeda." He explained.

"Do you name all your dragons after ex girlfriends and their mothers?" she teased.

"Not usually. Why, you want an Ironbelly named after you?" he tickled the bottom of her foot making her kick him off and swing her legs away.

"Careful there, Weasley, you won't keep your fingers if you do that too much… and no, I was thinking a Vipertooth." She shot him a warning gaze before sticking her tongue out at him.

"Best keep that in your head unless your offering it to me…"

"Oh? And what would you want with it?" she raised an eyebrow, leaning closer to him.

"I could think of a few things…" his voice went low, sending a shiver down her spine.

"Before we get too carried away here, how long are you home for? Do we need to talk to Bill tonight?" She swatted his hand away when he reached for her waist, keeping him at bay until she had an answer.

"We have time. I'm home for a couple days, I owled Bill so we could see him tomorrow. He needs a bit of a break from Fleur and Victoire."

"In that case…" she leaned in and kissed him, letting him pull her up onto his lap.


	4. Chapter 4: So It Goes

**AN:** Home home! No crazy scheduling things too quickly here so we'll have consistent updates for a bit. Going to aim for Fridays again with this one, almost made it this time. =) Title from Taylor Swift.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own or profit from Harry Potter or its related properties.

 **So It Goes...**

After a long night of very little sleep and next to no actual planning for their meeting with Bill, Hermione and Charlie peeled themselves out of bed and scrambled to make their appointment with the eldest Weasley brother and his wife.

"We didn't accomplish much last night did we?" Hermione groused as she struggled to pull a comb through her knotted curls.

"I wouldn't call making you swear at me a nothing accomplishment…" Charlie teased back, subtly casting a detangling charm at her head.

"I saw that! And hush, you." She smacked him playfully on the chest and finished taming her mane into some semblance of a plait so they could be on their way.

Dressing turned out to be more difficult than expected, every time she tried to put something on he'd try to pull it off of her again, swearing that there was little chance his brother was ready for them anyway. After a bit of a tug of war with the hem of her shirt, she kissed him soundly and promised to make it worth the wait if he'd stop being a prat and got himself ready to go.

"I swear, dragon tamer, if you don't get a move on I'll go without you and tell Bill you're a lousy shag." She threatened when she saw the time on the clock, it was nearly half-ten and they were due at Shell Cottage in mere minutes.

"You'll do no such thing, witch." He grumbled, hastily pulling his clothes from the night before back on and haphazardly pulling his hair back into a ponytail.

"I do love your hair long, I don't care what your mum says," Hermione said, taking a moment to tug the end as she passed him leaving the room.

"Me too." He smiled, following to the floo.

One at a time they stepped through her floo with cries of "Shell Cottage!" soon found themselves brushing off bits of soot in Bill's living room. In a matter of moments, Hermione found herself hopping out of the way as Bill locked Charlie in a headlock and the two brothers playfully wrestled each other to the floor in a roar of laughter.

"You're late, baby brother!" Bill howled, pinning him to the floor.

"You're not even dressed yet!" Charlie countered, easily rolling them as they continued to grapple.

The burst of strength Bill experienced from the lycanthropy was just barely a match for Charlie's honed muscle and brute force from routine wrestling with dragons. It was not clear to Hermione who was winning, she just knew she was in the way as their rolling nearly took her out at the ankles. She jumped onto the coffee table to avoid being toppled completely just as Fleur rushed into the room, clearly only halfway through changing for the day if her jeans and pyjama shirt were any indication.

"Boys!" Fleur soon had them each by an ear as she hauled them off the floor and out of the way of the hearth where she was certain they would catch themselves on fire if they kept up their shenanigans.

"Hermione!" She smiled, releasing the brothers and crossing to her with a warm smile as she offered a delicate hand to help her back to the floor. They greeted each other with quick air kisses and a squeezing of hands.

"Animals, the two of them." Fleur clucked her tongue and stared affectionately at her husband and brother and law as they struggled to one-up the other one to be to their feet first.

"Are they always like this?" Hermione laughed, watching as they knocked each other back to the floor in a fantastic show of long red hair and flailing limbs.

"Unfortunately, yes. Though it is worse when the twins get involved. Complete mayhem." She sighed heavily and tapped her foot impatiently at the brothers.

"Are you two quite finished now?" The quarter-veela fisted her hands on her hips in an unnerving approximation of Molly Weasley.

"Sorry, love." Bill hopped to his feet, placing a repentant kiss on her temple before embracing Hermione warmly.

"Hello, little sister." He greeted, lifting her and spinning her around before setting her back on her feet with a laugh.

"Little sister?" She giggled, taken aback by his sudden show of affection. She tried to see Charlie's reaction in her peripheral, but he was out of her sightline.

"As good as once mum finds out." He laughed clapping her on the back as he turned to hug his brother, their roughhousing completely ended now.

"Is that how mum is going to handle this? She's going to try to guilt me into marrying Hermione straight away?" Charlie asked, extricating himself from Fleur's hug and snaking an arm around Hermione as they followed Bill into the kitchen.

"It's what she did with me and Fleur. 'William Septimus Weasley, I hope you intend to marry that girl! A man of your age… she's almost a child!' Nevermind that Fleur was grown and out of school by then, so far as mum was concerned she was still the Triwizard champion she saw compete against Harry…" Bill sighed as he flopped into a chair, remnants of his breakfast still sitting under stasis on his plate.

"We've not finished breakfast, unfortunately. Victoire had us up quite late last night." Fleur apologised as she waved an arm dismissively at the slight mess in the kitchen.

"It's quite alright, Fleur. We're not bothered." Hermione smiled, noticing for the first time how Fleur's accent had thinned the longer she'd lived with Bill.

"Your mother, she is not fond of older men with younger women. She asked me more than once if I was sure I wanted to marry Bill, offered to pay my way back to France and everything if I did not want to stay in England. At first, I thought it was because she did not like me, but she stopped when I assured her I was certain of my feelings for Bill and his feelings for me." Fleur explained, lifting the stasis on her coffee after pouring some for Charlie and Hermione.

"That's horrid. I'm sorry, Fleur." Charlie grimaced at the realisation that his mother had been much less enthused about the match than she had initially let on, and that was after all the public huffing and puffing she'd done about it.

"Do you know why she was so against the match?" Hermione pressed, thinking that there must be something beyond her original conjecture about Fleur's vanity.

"I think mum was promised to a much older wizard for a time. It wasn't uncommon when she was growing up. She and dad married in secret…" Bill explained, suddenly tilting his head and nodding to his wife.

"Do you want to get her, or shall I?" He asked.

"Get who?" Charlie asked, brows knitting together in confusion.

"Victoire. I take it you've developed a touch of super hearing from the lycanthropy?" Hermione explained. Bill only nodded as Fleur made her way upstairs to collect the baby that had not yet started crying.

"How did you know she was awake?" Charlie asked, curious as no one else had seemed to hear anything.

"She burbles when she wakes from her nap. My ears are sensitive to it for some reason. Has made things a bit quieter around here though, we can usually check her for a new nappy or start the bottle before she's kicked up much of a fuss. Mum doesn't like it, says we'll spoil her and she needs to cry it out some." He shrugged, clearing the now empty plates from the table and freshening his coffee.

"Do you really think your mum was engaged to a much older man and that's why she ran off with your dad? Why would she be worried about the age difference between us then? No one arranged this, we sort of just fell in together…" Hermione made an ambiguous gesture between her and Charlie, perplexed at the line of reasoning they seemed to be going down.

"That's all I can rightly figure as to why a bit of an age gap would bother her. There are some old records in the family vault as well that have her name on them with another scorched off. No one can read them except her, I suspect it's whatever agreement she'd had with her original intended. The Prewetts weren't exactly major backers of blood purity, but they were a bit more inclined toward social climbing than the Weasleys. It's possible her parents, or even her grandparents, had arranged something between her and one of the other sacred twenty-eight. If she was concerned enough about possibly having to make good on the promise it would explain why she ran away with dad, it must have been a family she very much did not want to be a part of..." Bill explained, considering the bottom of his mug when he'd finished speaking.

"Do you think she was promised to a Black? Sirius said they were related by marriage, is it possible someone was trying to tie the family closer together? I know they were financially much better off than most. And I think if she'd been promised to a Malfoy we would have heard about it by now…" Hermione mused, tapping her fingertips on the table as her mind tried to work out the puzzle.

"I don't think it matters much who it was if that's what has her so cagey. It may not matter to her that you and I took up of our own accord, it must spark something in her that stirs up that old panic. We've got dragons that are like that. They have a negative experience and attach it to an object or a sound, so we have to be careful about how we approach them if we don't want to get attacked straight out. " Charlie sighed, shoulders slumping under the weight of the knowledge that there would be no easy way to break her the news.

"How do we tell her?" Hermione asked after a long silence.

"You could come right out and tell her, but she may argue with you like she did Tonks. I think you should do what Bill and I did and just show up together at family events. She will put it together eventually…" Fleur replied, carrying a slightly cranky looking Victoire into the room, fully dressed now. Almost immediately, she pushed the baby into Charlie's arms.

"You've not spent enough time with your niece, hold her a while." She waved her hand at Charlie's concerned expression and settled back into her chair to finish her coffee.

Hermione leaned closer to Charlie to wiggle her fingers at Victoire, smiling softly when the tiny thing looked at her in awe. She supposed at less than three months, there weren't many expressions the newborn had just yet.

"Get dad on your side first. He won't care so much. He won't lie for you, but he'll smooth the way… leave little comments here and there for her to get the idea in her head that you'd be a decent match. He'll remind her that she was alright with it at New Year's, that will help too." Bill suggested.

"I think this means we've got to schedule a lunch with your dad while you're home. Preferably before we're due at The Burrow for dinner." Hermione sighed heavily, every step closer to getting their relationship out in the open was turning out to be more complicated than she had anticipated.

"Actually, I might want to take that one alone. I usually meet him for a chat each time I'm home. He doesn't know I'm here already, but he's expecting me tomorrow for lunch at the Ministry. He wants me to surprise mum at dinner on Sunday." Charlie explained, keeping his voice low as he rocked the baby in his arms. Hermione felt a sudden tenderness for him she had not expected, seeing the gentle way the powerful tamer cradled and cooed at his niece.

"I thought you were only home a few days?" Hermione startled slightly, she was certain that's what he had said the night before.

"Few days, a week… same thing." Charlie shrugged.

"No, they really aren't. Not that I'm upset about the extra time with you." Hermione laughed lightly, making a point in her mind to get more specific timelines from the man in future.

"She likes you." Fleur interrupted, clearing the empty mugs into the sink and setting them to washing themselves.

"Charlie has always been good with babies." Bill pointed out, watching Hermione's reaction carefully.

"And you, Hermione? How are you with children?" Fleur asked, looking at her curiously.

"I haven't been around very many babies. Teddy seems to like me." She shrugged her shoulders noncommittally, unable to take her eyes off Charlie and Victoire.

"Would you like to hold her?" Charlie caught her eyes, blushing slightly at the intense focus they held. She swallowed and nodded, reaching her arms out to collect the tiny human from him.

"Hello there, wee one." She cooed when Victoire blinked up at her. She watched the way the baby took in the slight change in scenery, seemingly nonplussed by being passed to a relative stranger.

"You are a natural." Fleur smiled, a tinkling laugh flowing easily from her lips.

"She's sturdier than I expected… Sturdier? Is that a word you can use to describe babies?" Her forehead wrinkled in thought as she mused out loud, all her attention on the delicate treasure in her arms.

"Why don't you come with me to get her changed for the day?" Fleur steered the still standing Hermione out of the room with a wink to her husband and a knowing smile at Charlie who had not been able to pull his eyes away from her.

"You two have it bad, little brother." Bill whistled low and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What do you mean?" Charlie mirrored his posture, feeling a bit defensive.

"You'd put a baby in her right now if you thought she'd let you. And I'm not sure she'd mind all that much…" Bill explained with a small laugh.

"Nonsense. We've only been seeing each other a few months, Bill. I'm not of a mind to knock her up and put a ring on her finger. Not that I'm even sure it's something she'd want…" he trailed off, glancing in the direction the women had exited.

"Doesn't mean you haven't decided you might want that with her. How many favours did you need to call in to get a week off? And don't tell me you would have done anyway unless there's been an emergency you haven't willingly come home for more than a day or two in years. And you're in bleedin' Wales now, it's not like you're really all that far away. You can't tell me she had nothing to do with that." Bill pressed, locking eyes on him.

"Yeah, alright. I guess she does have something to do with me wanting to be around more… and it wasn't easy getting the time. We're understaffed right now as it is, but I know she's been fretting over this. I don't like leaving her alone to handle these things. She fixates." Charlie explained, nervously chewing on his bottom lip when he'd finished.

"I thought as much. You know, it's not a bad thing, Charlie. Falling in love can be a great thing. We've both had our fair amount of birds over the years…"

"Some of yours you stole off me." Charlie accused, looking at him pointedly.

"So says you. Anyway, when I met Fleur it was different. And seeing the two of you together? It's clear it's the same for you."

"Other than today, when have you really been able to see us together?" Charlie scoffed at him.

"New Year's Eve. I know you weren't together yet, but it was clear it was heading that way quickly. She may not have noticed that your eyes followed her everywhere, but I did. You could just as easily kicked her out of your bed or taken her home, but you didn't. You snuck her downstairs in the brunch hubbub and let her pretend she'd just come through the floo. How mum missed she had on half your clothes and half hers I'll never know…"

"Actually, that's easy enough to explain. I lent her that sweater months ago and she likes it. Mum's seen her in it plenty, I don't think she remembers it's mine. Either that or she assumes I let her keep it." Charlie chuckled, who would have known her sweater thievery would have led them to this place.

"Really? Wait, is that the one you gave her at that party? Wasn't she still with Krum then?" Bill questioned, trying to piece the timeline together in his mind.

"Yeah. She was. Bad luck for him, then." Charlie smirked.

"Are you sure she's with you for you and not for your sweater? Sounds like she's been fond of it a lot longer than she's been fond of you…"

"That remains to be seen…" Hermione teased as she entered the kitchen, baby free.

"Oi! I have feelings, woman!" Charlie feigned hurt.

"You'll live." Hermione leaned over and kissed his cheek with a chuckle.

"And where are my girls?" Bill asked, pushing out of his chair to stand.

"Victoire had a bit of an accident while we were trying to change her, Fleur says she'll need a bath," Hermione explained with a grimace.

"I better go help. She acts calm about the whole motherhood thing but bathing her still freaks her out. I think she's afraid she'll drown her." Bill sighed, making his way out of the room.

"We're going to head back then, Bill. Give Fleur our love." Hermione took Charlie by the hand and pulled him to his feet in preparation to leave.

* * *

Charlie found himself seated across from his father in a little Muggle restaurant where they weren't likely to run into anyone they knew. He'd spent most of the day and night before tangled up in Hermione's sheets again, unable to keep his hands off her when they'd left Shell Cottage. They were turning out to be incredibly bad at getting anything at all done when the possibility of getting naked together was on the table. Or the counter. Or the couch. Or the shower. Or really anywhere at all… She was in the process of scourgifying her flat while he was out with his dad before they "could sully any more surfaces".

"I'm so glad you were able to get some time off, Charlie. You're so much closer now and I feel we hear even less from you!" Arthur chastised lightly, eyes sparkling with joy over some time with his second oldest.

"That's actually part of why I was in a hurry to speak with you before dinner tomorrow. I need your help with mum…" Charlie swallowed nervously.

"You're either moving further away or you've started seeing someone you're not sure she'll like. Which is it?" Arthur chuckled, patting his son comfortingly on the shoulder.

"No, not moving away again. Wales is fine for the time being. I started seeing someone. I know mum will like her, but…" he stopped to take a steadying breath, unsure why this was so hard.

"But there is something about the relationship she won't like?" Arthur pressed, crossing his hands calmly in front of him.

"She's younger than I think mum will be okay with. You know she's got that thing about not liking us dating women more than a year or two younger. There's, erm, seven years between us." Charlie took a long pull from the beer he'd ordered with his lunch, knowing it would be a difficult conversation.

"Hmmm. Yes, she does have a bit of an issue with that. She handled your brother and Fleur fairly well I thought. I think she may still be a bit cross with Remus and Tonks, though." Arthur sighed, taking a sip from his own pint glass.

"It's, um, it's Hermione actually… I was hoping that might smooth things over a bit. I know she's always liked her. Loved her really… And she'd hoped to marry her into the family…" Charlie rambled on for a bit, Arthur watching him indulgently.

"Charlie, your mum loves you and she loves Hermione. That's going to make this all a bit easier. It won't be as simple as it really should be, but the woman is allowed her demons… Now, do you intend to marry her or is this some passing fancy? If it's a passing notion it's not worth working your mother up over, but if you're serious about her, and I hope you are, I can help smooth it over…" Arthurs started, studying his son carefully.

"I'm serious about her. And I know she's serious about me too. She's knotted up over not having told mum yet, but Ginny warned her off it until we were sure how to approach all this." Charlie explained, picking at his sandwich that had arrived as they spoke.

"Well, I can definitely put in a few words here and there. Though, honestly, sometimes it's best to let her think it's her own idea. You two were fairly friendly at New Year's, I think that will help since she encouraged it a bit that morning…"

"She did?" Charlie was perplexed, he didn't remember any of his mother's trademark meddling.

"Oh yes. You don't remember her seating you two together? Or assigning you to clean up the tent together?" Arthur chuckled.

"We were going to sit together anyway. And since when is clean up matchmaking in mum's book?" Charlie laughed, relaxing slightly that this might not be as hard as they were expecting.

"It's a strange thing with her sometimes. She likes to see how potential matches do with tasks she deems difficult. I don't think she realised you have both cleaned and packed away those tents before." Arthur took a hearty bite of his own sandwich with a shrug.

"So, we shouldn't just outright tell her tomorrow?" Charlie confirmed after they'd had a chance to eat most of their lunch, wanting to be sure his dad had a chance to eat before his lunch break was over.

"No, I think we'll all need to ease her into this. I take it most of your siblings know? They generally pick up on these things…" Arthur trailed off with a smirk, remembering all the times his children had beat him to an obvious conclusion over the years.

"Ginny and Bill for certain. I think Fred and George might suspect something. I don't rightly know if Ron or Percy know, they've not mentioned anything in their letters."

"You still write all your siblings?" Arthur beamed with pride.

"'Course I do. Family is important."

"It is indeed." Arthur pat his arm affectionately before standing and straightening himself up.

"For what it's worth, I think you and Hermione are a fine match. I'll do what I can to help your mother see that. If she hasn't come to the conclusion on her own the next few family events. I suggest letting her 'catch' the two of you flirting a bit. Might soften her enough to forget the age difference. I think with Hermione's maturity she often forgets how old the girl actually is, to begin with." Arthur attempted to pay for their meal at the counter as Charlie waved him off and handed the money to the server.

"Thanks, dad." Charlie wrapped his father in a large hug, more relieved now than he'd been before.

* * *

Hermione was asleep on the couch with one arm slung over her face and a book open on her chest. She had changed into their sweater and, if his assumptions were correct, not much else. He knew she'd taken to wearing it around the house like that long before they'd started seeing each other, but it still have him a little thrill that she might be doing it to keep him close to her even when he was gone. He weighed the merits of waking her up versus letting her sleep. He knew their near-constant jumping of each other was a big contributor to why she was so tired. He sighed and decided he should let her rest, as much as he wanted to wrestle her back out of that sweater and into bed. He perched on the arm of the sofa and picked up the photograph of her with Crookshanks from the end table, it was a still shot in what he was assuming was her parents' home. He knew she missed the animal and wondered if she might like to get a new pet. He didn't like the idea of her being so alone when he couldn't be there.

"Charlie?" her sleepy voice broke his train of thought.

"Hi, beautiful. Go back to sleep, you're knackered." He whispered, magically dimming the lights.

"Not on the sofa." She grumbled, marking the page in her book and rising to head to her bedroom.

He watched her with interest, fairly certain she only had knickers on under the gray sweater he loved so well. She turned to him suddenly, more than halfway down the hall to her bedroom.

"Are you coming?" she asked, face a little worried.

"I'm not sleepy, love, but I'll come sit with you." He answered, kicking off his boots and picking up his own book from the coffee table as he made to join her.

"What time is it?" she asked as she flopped back into the bed, lighting only the lamp on what had become his side of the bed.

"'Bout six or so. I had a few errands to run after lunch."

"Too early for sleep…" she grumbled, starting to rise.

"No, you need it. You'll probably sleep right through to tomorrow." He slid in next to her, gently pushing her back so she sprawled back onto the bed.

She turned and nuzzled up next to him, squirming to tuck herself under the blankets. He dropped a kiss on the side of her head and settled in next to her, beginning to read his book where he'd left off. He'd been on the same one for weeks now, not having enough downtime on the reserve to work his way through it. He turned the pages quietly, relaxing further into her bed.

"Charlie?"

"Hmmm?" he asked, mildly amused that she was still trying to stay awake.

"How did it go?"

"Well enough, nothing to worry about or that can't wait until the morning." He reassured her, throwing an arm around her when she wiggled her way onto his chest.

"You know I'm only making a big deal of telling your mum because I really like you, right?" She sounded more awake this time, turning her head so she could put her chin on his chest as she spoke.

"I do. And you know the only reason why I'm even here this week is that I wanted to be here with you to work this out because I really like you too?"

"I… I didn't know that." She admitted sheepishly.

"Hermione, look at me…" he helped her to sit up so he could better see her face, carefully wiping the loose hairs from her face.

"Since the last time we laid here and discussed our feelings for each other, you're about the only thing I can think about when I'm not trying to get roasted or eaten alive. I'm all in with this is you are. And I think you are…"

"I am." She admitted quietly, keeping her brown eyes on his.

"Ok then. I'm playing for keeps, love. And that means getting mum on board. It isn't just about sex. Not that I haven't had an amazing time ruining every surface of your flat…"

"Charlie!" She scolded.

"Look, what I'm trying to say is we're on the same page. And we'll figure out a game plan in the morning. Right now you're obviously exhausted and I've got no problem reading for a bit before I fall asleep next to you. Okay?"

"Okay." She smiled as he leaned over and kissed her gently, guiding her back flat against the mattress.

She prolonged the kiss, lazily moving her lips with his as she traced her hands down the sides of his face, over his shoulders, and back again.

"Don't sit up too late, I know you're tired too." She whispered, giving him one last peck and releasing his face.

"Alright, love." He smiled down at her, leaving his book aside and spooning her to him until she fell asleep. His reading could wait a little while longer.


	5. Chapter 5: Feelin' This

**AN:** This week has been a mess. BUT it's my birthday, so updates all around! Enjoy a little birthday lemony goodness on me. Title from Blink 182

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own or in any way profit from Harry Potter or its related properties.

 **Feelin' This**

Charlie woke to the feel of lips against his temple. He grumbled slightly, trying to figure out which way was up in the tangle of hair he found himself in, a mix of red and brunette strands blocking his vision.

"'Mione, love, how the bleedin' hell did this happen?" he mumbled, spitting hair from his mouth.

"Well, my hair got there because I leaned over to kiss you, your hair I've no idea… I'm guessing you pulled the tie out in your sleep…"

"You know, that never used to happen to me until I started sharing a bed with you…" he accused through one open eye, the other not yet ready to wake.

"Funny thing that…" she laughed brightly as she climbed over him and out of the bed, just barely escaping his grabbing hands.

"Where do you think you're going?" he called after her, fingers skimming her leg as she jumped out of the way when he tried to reach for her.

"To start breakfast. Now up!" she danced out of the room, entirely too cheerful for whatever disgustingly early hour it was, Charlie decided.

"Insufferable witch… takes my hair ties out in my sleep, won't even let me ravish her first thing in the morning…" he grumbled to himself, forcing himself out of bed and into the kitchen where he knew she'd be making morning coffee.

"Come here…" he grabbed the loose bits of the sweater around where her waist was, tugging her back into his chest.

"Charlie…" she giggled at him as he kissed the sides of her face and neck, unable to pick a spot to focus on.

Soon she found herself melting back into him, moaning as he tasted her neck and tweaked her nipples through the warn yarn of the sweater.

"Off…" he pushed at the top of her knickers, smiling into her neck when she obliged. He immediately snaked a hand down her front to swirl her clit, dragging a sharp gasp from her lips when he lightly pinched the hypersensitive flesh.

"This too?" she tried to extricate the sweater from his still clutching fingers, knees going shaky as he continued his ministrations.

"Nope." He spun her around in his arms, backing her from the kitchen into the living room, laying her out over the coffee table.

She moaned as he drug his teeth over the skin of her neck before marking her just below the collar of the sweater. He kissed her roughly, nipping at her lips as their tongues wrestled. His fingers made short order of finding her clit again, teasing the swollen nub.

"Fuck, Charlie…" Hermione moaned, the tension in her body building as he teased her.

"Merlin I love when you swear…" he chuckled, checking she was ready for him before removing his boxers and lining himself up with her core.

She wrapped her legs around him, digging her heels into his arse when he finally entered her. She gripped his forearms, her nails imprinting half moons on his skin. She cried out when he adjusted the angle, hitting the sensitive spot inside her as he quickened his pace.

"So close…" she cried as his pace became erratic, telling her he was nearing his own orgasm.

"Cum with me, baby…" he panted, holding off until he felt her walls flutter around him.

"Holy shite…" he breathed, kissing her as he pulled out.

"I'm going to have to clean this again…" she whinged, only then just realising he had taken her on the coffee table.

"I'll take care of it this time, love. Though I think we should just leave it, I'd meant to lick you on here but I didn't think I'd last..." He chuckled, helping her to her feet.

"You're incorrigible, you know that." She kissed his cheek, going in search of her knickers and the coffee she so desperately needed.

"Can't help it, you're too tempting." He teased, pulling his shorts back on and casting a few cleansing charms at the coffee table.

"If we don't slow it down I'm never not going to be sore…" she sighed, pulling down a box of cereal and a couple bowls.

"I've been told this is the 'honeymoon phase' and it does indeed wear off," Charlie reassured her with a wink as he added sugar to his coffee mug.

"So long as you're still here at the end of it, I don't care what phase it is." Hermione turned to kiss his cheek, levitating their breakfast and her coffee to the kitchen table.

"I intend to be here as long as you'll have me." He laughed, sitting across from her and admiring the mark he'd left on her.

"I'm going to have to cover that before we see your mother tonight, you know that right?" She smirked at him.

"I know, but I can enjoy it until then, consider giving it some friends..." He teased, taking a large bite of his cereal.

"Hmmm…" she rolled her eyes at him as she sipped her coffee.

"Good news from dad yesterday. He approves, not that either of us thought he wouldn't, but he thinks we may need to ease mum into it. He recommended letting her catch us being flirty at the next few family events. Think you can handle pretending to like me for a few family dinners?"

"I suppose I could try…" she sighed theatrically, winking at him over her breakfast.

"If you promise not to wear knickers maybe we can sneak upstairs and we can try for a repeat of New Year's Eve…" he suggested wistfully.

She flung a spoonful of flakes at his head in response, not even a little surprised when he playfully wrestled her to the floor in retaliation, giving her a love bite on the other side to match the one he'd already left.


	6. Chapter 6: The Way We Complicate

**AN:** A little longer one this time… Title is from the All Time Low song Birthday

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own or in any way profit from Harry Potter or its related properties.

 **The Way We Complicate**

Charlie nuzzled into Hermione's neck, snuffling and snarling in a way that reminded her of the beasts he tamed.

"Charlie…." she reprimanded, trying to push him off of her as he playfully grabbed and tugged at whatever clothing he could reach.

"I thought we agreed you were going to keep your paws off me until after we got back home so your mum doesn't accidentally find us in a compromising position," she sighed, accepting a heated kiss from the man as he leaned her against the hood of the Ford Anglia Harry had gifted Arthur that Christmas to replace the one he and Ron had lost.

They were still just out of sight of the windows, but the proximity to the house was making Hermione nervous. Charlie untucked her shirt and slid his hands over her skin, pulling a sigh from her lips.

"You agreed. I did no such thing," he teased, giving her one last peck before letting her free of him. He couldn't help a quick swat to her bum as she passed him.

"Oi! I saw that, big brother!" Fred's voice froze them both in their tracks, they had not considered their proximity to the apparation point.

"Fuck…" Charlie and Hermione let slip in unison, turning to regard the twins as they made their arrival.

"We won't say anything to mum, don't worry." George laughed heartily as he swung an arm around Hermione's shoulders.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't. We've only just worked out a way to ease her into it…" Hermione explained.

"Got dad on your side?" Fred put Charlie in a headlock, the older redhead grumbling in the affirmative as he wrestled his brother to the ground.

"For Merlin's sake…" Hermione laughed, pushing on Charlie's shoulder to get him to unpin Fred and offering the cackling man a hand up.

"What about me then?" Charlie asked with a little pout, still sitting in the dirt.

"You're trying to blow our chances. You get nothing." She stuck her tongue out at him and let Fred ruffle her hair and pull her toward the house. Charlie scrambled to his feet and followed behind, horseplaying with George all the way to the door.

"Boys! Hermione!" Arthur called out happily as the commotion reached the kitchen.

Charlie had both of them in headlocks now, grappling to get loose as all three laughed uncontrollably. Hermione felt a little flutter in her chest as she recognized how easily Charlie seemed to fall into place with his brothers as if he's never been gone at all.

"What's this then? You didn't roughhouse like that with Hermione now did you? Look at her hair and her shirt is all askew…" Molly fretted over the younger woman, clucking her tongue as she set her to rights. Hermione's cheeks flamed as she realised her shirt was in such a state because Charlie had had his hands up it only minutes before.

"Hermione! Did one of them grab your neck! Arthur, look at this bruise!" Molly whirled on her sons with murder in her eyes.

"No, no, no! They didn't do anything. I was hit with a rogue book that fell off my bookcase this morning, that's all…" Hermione lied quickly, eyes going wide when she caught Charlie's. They had forgotten to glamour the love bites he'd left that morning.

"Are you sure? It's in such a strange place…" Molly murmured, making to pull down Hermione's collar to be sure there wasn't more extensive damage just out of sight.

"Yes! That's all it was… Fred, George, I don't suppose either of you has a pot of bruise paste handy?" The colour drained from her face as she considered what would happen if Molly found the mark on the other side.

"Follow me, dear lady!" George tugged her from his mother's grip and pulled her toward the upstairs bathroom.

"Sweet Circe, that was close…" she breathed when he shut the door behind them and produced a pot of paste from the medicine cabinet.

"You two have got to be more careful or she'll catch you before she can be convinced the two of you is a good idea." George lectured, carefully applying the paste to her neck on the one side and stifling a laugh when she offered him the other side.

"Charlie was always a bit of an overachiever when it came to anything physical…" he teased, treating the other side and watching as both slowly disappeared from view.

"I should have remembered the marks. She probably wouldn't have noticed except I wasn't exactly expecting that he was going to try and snog me on the hood of your dad's new car." She let out an aggravated sigh, double checking that both marks were totally gone.

"Just don't blow it before she's got herself set on the idea. You don't want a lecture like Tonks got. I'm surprised the buzzing in her ears ever went away…" George teased, stepping back so she could make her way to the door.

"I know. Tonks and Bill both told us to listen to your dad, but that's going to be increasingly difficult if Charlie can't keep his hands to himself... Thank you for the help." Hermione wrapped him in a hug with a little sideways grin before slipping back downstairs.

"You really must be careful Hermione, living alone in that flat of yours… What would have happened if that book had hit your head instead and you'd been seriously injured?" Molly checked her over, satisfied that she was in one unblemished piece.

"I don't think we need to overly concern ourselves with another accident, Molly. I'm sure Hermione will be more cautious in future." Arthur gave her a knowing look before winking at Charlie behind his wife's back.

"Yes, Molly, I'll be much more careful… let me give you a hand getting dinner on the table..." Hermione reassured her, smacking Charlie on the arm as she passed when he waggled his eyebrows at her.

"You're not helping your cause you know…" Arthur wrapped his arm around his son's shoulder and whispered so only Charlie could hear. Shamefaced, he nodded in agreement and followed after the two witches.

"Where is everyone tonight, mum?" Charlie asked, nicking a carrot from the salad bowl as she levitated it from the counter to the kitchen table.

"Everyone else should be here shortly. I was surprised to get Bill and Fleur so last minute, I do wish we had more notice when you'd be in town. We do miss you dearly when you aren't here." Molly patted his cheek, accepting an impromptu hug from her second-eldest son.

"I was able to let Bill know I was trying to be here so they kept the evening free… will Perce be here? I don't know I've seen him or Audrey much since New Year's…"

"I don't think you saw much of them then, really. At least not at the party, I don't remember seeing much of you after Bill came back from his walk without you…" Molly mused, handing Hermione a handful of silverware to set the table.

"You must not remember, mum. I was here the whole time…" he winked at Hermione, quirking a small smile at the pink on her cheeks.

"Well, regardless… Percy will be here with his fiance, you remember Audrey don't you? Ron should be home any moment now, I don't think his new girlfriend will be joining us this evening… not that he's bothered to tell me the girl's name…" Molly huffed for a moment, looking over at Hermione hopefully. She sighed when it became clear she had no idea who Ron's new paramour was.

"Harry and Ginny are on their way back from Grimmauld Place with Sirius. Assuming the man knows what is good for him and came along as requested…" Molly grumbled as she poked her head into the other room to check the family clock.

"Tonks and Remus?" Charlie asked, counting off the chairs and seeing a few yet unaccounted for.

"Yes, Andromeda has Teddy tonight though so it will be just the two of them." Molly bustled to and from the kitchen, refusing to give Hermione anything else to do except wait for everyone else.

"Fancy a game of exploding snap? I'm sure we can get the twins in on a round while we wait…" Charlie asked Hermione, faking more formality than necessary.

"Alright…" Hermione followed him into the living room where the twins were having an animated discussion about some new invention.

"Round of snap while we wait for the others?" Charlie asked, collecting the playing cards from the mantle where they were kept. They nodded and joined Hermione on the floor around the coffee table. It wasn't long before they were laughing and jumping back from the little card explosions as they played.

Occasionally, Hermione glanced up and saw Charlie watching her curiously. At one point he reached over and tugged on a curl that had been slightly singed when she'd gotten a little too close to the cards. He stuck his tongue out at her when he beat her to a pair, making her wrinkle her nose at him in annoyance.

"Charlie! Stop teasing the poor girl…" Molly chastised lightly, not really bothered by the good-natured taunts.

"Wotcher Weasleys!" Tonks all but tumbled out of the floo with a huge smile on her face, Remus not far behind her. They abandoned their card game to greet the couple, hugs and slaps on the back passing from person to person. It wasn't long before the others began to arrive, adding to the din.

"Alright you lot, time to eat!" Arthur announced with a clap of his hands, herding his brood and friends into the kitchen to eat.

"How is it going so far, 'Mione?" Tonks leaned over and whispered to Hermione while Molly was distracted with Audrey at dinner.

"She saw a love bite on my neck earlier, but I think I passed it off well enough as a bruise…"

"Oh my…" Tonks couldn't help but laugh and shoot Charlie a suggestive look across the table.

"Do I want to know what you two are discussing?" Remus leaned in with a little laugh from Tonk's other side.

"They were almost found out already over a love bite," Tonks explained, giving her husband a peck on the cheek when his eyes widened in surprise.

"Dora, how is darling Teddy doing these days? I feel like it's been so long since I've seen him!" Molly interrupted, pulling the attention off Hermione's embarrassment. She focused on her meal, trying to ignore the under-his-breath teasing coming from Fred on her other side anytime he saw her look up at Charlie.

"Since we've everyone here tonight with Charlie home, Audrey and I have a bit of announcement…" Percy cleared his throat and stood at the table. With an adoring look at his fiance, he turned to face his mother and father.

"We're moving the wedding up, Audrey is pregnant!" Percy announced gleefully, making his mother jump out of her seat in excitement. A rousing round of cheers could be heard, and the occasional murmur that Molly was taking the out of wedlock pregnancy surprisingly well.

Alcohol was quickly procured along with the crumble Molly had prepared for dessert. Ginny and Hermione set the dinner dishes to washing so the matriarch could gush over her future daughter-in-law.

"How is it going so far with mum?" Ginny asked quietly, filling Hermione's glass with whiskey.

"Bit of a close call earlier, but she didn't pick up on it." She nervously gestured at her neck, keeping an eye on Molly.

"Oh, you didn't…" Ginny suppressed a laugh, giving Hermione's shoulder a squeeze as she moved on down the table.

A toast was quickly had, the mood turning progressively more celebratory as the time wore on. Hermione had a sinking suspicion most of them would be going to work hungover or with potions in hand the next morning. The larger dinner party split into smaller groupings, some of them spilling into the back garden.

"Charlie, Hermione?" Sirius wiggled a brightly coloured piece of glass in their direction that had them breaking into grins the older man couldn't quite comprehend.

"Dora?" Remus turned to his wife, eyes somewhat pleading.

"Go on then, I'll help keep the girls distracted. Don't be gone too long!" Tonks loving pushed her husband toward the small group heading for the tree line with a quick kiss and a laugh.

"I do love that wife of yours…" Sirius clapped his hand on his old friend's back, trying to catch Bill's attention through the kitchen window. The man whispered something to his wife, she frowned slightly with a visible sigh before relenting and dismissing him with a wave of her hand.

"Where to, Sirius?" Bill asked as he joined the group that comprised the two Marauders, Harry, Ginny, Hermione, and Charlie. The twins and Ron had begged off this time, all three feeling the alcohol a bit too much to want to journey into the woods for a toke.

"You still have that old treehouse?" He grinned as the younger man tossed his head back with a laugh and led the way.

Just beyond the improvised Quidditch pitch between the house and the small cropping of apple trees, there was a treehouse just barely visible when they crossed through the tree line.

"I remember when Gid and Fab built this for you when you were just tots… though I think they partially did so for the purpose we're about to use it for. Molly was never one for tree climbing and wouldn't chase after them is they came to smoke out here…" Sirius explained, starting up the ladder.

Hermione chewed her lip and considered taking off her boots to climb up. She's worn the same heeled ones she often wore these days. They always reminded her of the first night she'd spent with Charlie. When it came time for her to make her way up she decided to at least try and make sense of the heeled boots on the rope ladder. She nearly toppled when she suddenly felt a pair of hands on her arse pushing her toward the opening in the floor. With a loud squeak, her arms were hauled through by Harry and Ginny as Charlie laughed just behind her, taking an extra grope as he moved her through.

"Arse!" Hermione swatted at him when he climbed through, turning away from his attempts to hug her in apology.

"Can't really blame him, sweetness. Your bum does look delicious in those jeans with those boots…" Sirius flirted, immediately setting her cheeks aflame.

"Oi! Stuff it, Snuffles! That's my girlfriend you're talking about!" Charlie laughed as he chucked a pebble at Sirius in mock anger.

"Granger! I didn't think you had it in you… a secret relationship? No way Mol knows or Charlie would be missing his hair and an appendage or two besides!" He barked out a laugh, shaggy hair swinging wildly.

"Right, so, the grand total of people who don't know are Molly, Percy, Audrey, and I'm guessing Ron?" Hermione turned to Ginny and Harry for confirmation.

"Didn't think it was our place to tell him, love…" Harry supplied with a little shrug.

"Any attempt you might have made to plant the seed the two of you would be a good idea was likely lost with Percy's announcement tonight." Bill sighed, clapping Charlie on the shoulder.

"Maybe her being distracted will work in our favour? We'll just keep showing up to things together and slowly ease her into it…" Hermione mused out loud.

"That's going to be awfully hard to do if Charlie keeps trying to pounce on you where she can catch you…" Ginny teased.

"Which one of them told you I had her up against the Anglia?" Charlie caught Hermione's hand in his before she could swat him again, kissing her palm.

"Fred," Ginny shrugged.

"You think it's funny now Charlie, but Bill and I have had this particular lecture and I have to tell you it's a long one…" Remus warned, a smile quirking at the sides of his mouth as he struggled to remain serious.

"Can we stop talking about my love life and smoke please?" Hermione sighed, slumping against Charlie.

"That's my girl! If I'd known you were secretly this much fun, Hermione, I might have made a move on you…"

"You should see what I can do with my tongue…" Hermione responded, making Harry sputter out of the flask he'd accepted from Ginny from who knows where.

"Such a tease… how do you keep up with her Charlie?" Sirius groaned in approval, getting the pipe going.

"I like to think we move at about the same pace…" he answered, leaning over to kiss the side of her head.

"When did you get so… what's the word I'm looking for here, Moony?" Sirius turned his attention to his best friend, taking a drag off the pipe and passing it to him.

"I don't rightly know, Padfoot. Wild, maybe?" He shrugged, keeping the pipe moving.

"About the time I started shagging an international Quidditch star. You should hear how vulgar some of the team girlfriends get. It's impressive." Hermione laughed, referencing her ex for the first time since New Year's Eve.

"I'd almost forgotten you dated that tosser. Always thought you'd end up with Ron." Sirius replied, already prepping to refill the bowl when it got back to him.

"I think everyone did. We never quite figured it out, and then Viktor was back in my life. From what Molly says he's got a new girlfriend, but no one seems to know her name…"

"He still hasn't told her? I don't know why he's being so weird about it. It's just Luna. Molly loves Luna." Harry answered, brows furrowed in confusion.

"Maybe he's trying to keep it to himself for a bit, like Charlie and I did…" Hermione shrugged, happy to hear Ron had paired off with one of her other mates.

"I hate to break it to you, but you weren't ever exactly a secret. Tell me, did you manage to make it back to the bedroom before you shagged? Or did you jump him right there at the lake?" Bill teased.

"Bill!" Hermione stared daggers at him if looks could kill he'd have exploded.

"This story I haven't heard…" Ginny perked up, passing the pipe to Hermione after she'd exhaled a long stream of smoke.

"Not much to tell. We snuck off to smoke on New Year's Eve, I begged off so Fleur wouldn't fuss too much at my being gone. Hermione looked ready to eat him when I left. Wasn't surprised to see him sneaking her downstairs from his room in the brunch rush the next morning…" Bill laughed, swallowing hard when he noticed Hermione's hair prickle with raw magic in her irritation.

"Try not to kill my brother, love? I do like him quite a bit…" Charlie teased, taking a long drag and passing the pipe along before taking her by the face and exhaling the smoke into her mouth.

"Gross. James and Lily used to do that." Sirius laughed at the couple as Hermione exhaled the second-hand smoke into the air.

"Mum and dad smoked?" Harry asked with mild alarm.

"Harry, mate, of course, they did. You didn't think Remus and Sirius started as adults did you?" Bill teased. Harry considered for a long moment before sighing at his own stupidity and leaning back against the wall, pulling Ginny to him.

They passed the pipe around a few more times, Sirius topping it off as needed. It was getting to the point where they'd been gone too long to justify their absence.

"We'd better be heading back before our wives worry, come on, Bill." Remus rose with a nod to the group and led the way back down the ladder, the stoned redhead following behind him.

"I thought Bill wasn't supposed to smoke anymore?" Hermione asked no one in particular.

"Fleur let him start again after she'd stopped breastfeeding and could again too. I think it was more so that she didn't want to be left out…" Ginny explained, combing her fingers through Harry's hair where he was falling asleep against her.

"Might want to take him back to the house, pet. If you're lucky you can get him through the floo before your mum catches on to what we've all been up to out here…" Sirius suggested, gently shaking his godson awake.

"When do you go back to Wales?" he asked Charlie, lighting up one last bowl and passing it to Hermione.

"Tomorrow night. I've got one more day with this one before it's back to work…" he squeezed her thigh affectionately.

"I know Bill has figured out part of the story, but you do know why your mum gets so worried about age gap romances, yes?"

"Bill thinks she was promised to someone older and that's why she married Arthur in secret…"

"That's right. He wasn't such a bad bloke in the end, but much too old for your mother. And too closely related for my comfort." Sirius nodded.

"Who was it? Bill said there's a file in the vault, but the names are scorched off."

"My uncle Alphard," he sighed heavily.

"You've got to be kidding me… he was old enough to be her father!" Hermione cried.

"That he was. We wouldn't have gone through with it, of course, he didn't much care about the marriage contract. He wasn't interested in a child bride, but I don't think he ever got a chance to tell Molly that. She just knew she had to get out of it. So, she married Arthur and had Bill straight away… Though the conception might have predated the marriage. You probably noticed she didn't say anything to Percy and Audrey tonight for having one on the way already? I'm fairly certain Bill was already going to be a reality when they married." Sirius explained.

"Poor mum… She must know though that not all age gaps mean something horrid like that though? Hermione and I obviously don't have any sort of arrangement…" Charlie questioned.

"I don't think that part matters. I think it's the memories it stirs up." Hermione nodded to herself, feeling sorry for the woman she'd thought of as a second mother for years.

"She'll come around, but I think easing her into it isn't a bad idea. She came down pretty hard on Tonks and Remus. Though that was likely because of how closely her family tree is to Tonks'. She wasn't nearly as bad with Bill and Fleur. I think more of that was actually because she didn't like her at first. The age difference didn't help, but it wasn't the main cause." Sirius offered the last hit to Hermione, which she took deep in thought.

"Thanks for the information, Sirius." Charlie leaned forward to shake the man's hand.

"Just make sure if you're going to go through with telling her that you intend to keep this one for good. If I were a younger man I might have to fight you for her…" he winked at Hermione, making her cheeks flush again. She couldn't help but wonder if he knew she and Ginny had nursed crushed on him as children.

"You'd lose." Charlie chuckled, the edge on his words making it clear he wasn't entirely joking.

"No one is fighting over me. But you, dragon tamer, are going to take me home and get me out of these clothes…" Hermione giggled, planting a kiss on Sirius' cheek as she handed the pipe back to him and he winked at her conspiratorially.


End file.
